The 30-Minute Fly

A few years back, when my friend Kelly was just getting started, we went up to Lowland for a few days. We hunted the state impoundment on the open days and hunted sea ducks out on the Pamlico Sound the other days. We had a good week. Kelly got to shoot her first Scoters and also got to kill a few "new" species of puddleducks. So all in all, it was a great hunt.

One morning in particular, we were hunting in the Spring Creek Impoundment. There were Gadwall, Wigeon, Blue and Green Wing Teal, Mallards and a few Pintails around. We were lucky enough to shoot steadily all morning and kill a good variety of ducks. The only "different" thing about the hunt was that the ducks seemed to move only at certain intervals. We were in there for about 5 hours, and all morning we would sit for a half an hour and see nothing, then there would be a good movement of ducks, we would get some shooting and then all would be quiet for another half an hour.

I jokingly told Kelly that the birds were on the "30 minute fly" rule. Being fairly new to duck hunting she took me seriously, thinking that this strange occurrence actually happened regularly and that the official name for it was the "30 minute fly" rule. I guess maybe I had a little to do with convincing her that this was the case.

So anyhow, we had a good day. That evening we were out in front of our trailer and saw a car go by that I recognized as some of my hunting friends. We jumped in the Blazer and followed them down to their trailer to shoot the bull. When we got there I introduced Kelly to the guys and explained that she was my new hunting partner. They seemed pleased to meet her and asked her about getting started in the sport and how much she was enjoying it. She conversed with them for a while, and then one of them asked if we had done any good that day.

Kelly piped right up and said we had done real well. Told them the ducks were on the "30 minute fly".

They all sort of averted their eyes and stared at the floor or whatever else seemed handy. No one seemed to know how to respond. We talked a few minutes longer and then left. On the way home Kelly asked me what had gone wrong with our visit. I explained to her that no other hunters were familiar with the "30 minute fly" rule, that it was something I had just made up that morning. She slugged me a few times for making a fool of her, but that has all since past and is now a joke for all of us.